LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) granted post-arrest bail to former police inspector Abid Hussain, famously known as Abid Boxer, in a case involving alleged extortion and an attack on a police team.

ATC Judge Arshad Javed approved the bail petition of Boxer, contingent upon the provision of surety bonds amounting to Rs100,000.

Advocate Aazar Latif Khan, representing Boxer, contested the prosecution’s stance. He argued that the police had filed a fabricated first information report against the petitioner as a result of a personal vendetta.

He said that the accusation of snatching a police rifle was baseless and maintained that the police had subjected the petitioner to physical abuse during his detention.

The case against Boxer and other suspects, registered by the Faisal Town police, alleged extortion and an assault on a police team. It claimed that the former inspector had forcibly taken an official rifle from a constable and managed to escape custody when apprehended by a police team. The suspect was arrested in Kasur.

Abid Boxer gained notoriety as an encounter specialist, linked to alleged extrajudicial killings 15 years ago.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2023